Locked Away
by Strawberry-kid
Summary: A cunning shop-keeper... a kidnapped human girl... four unsuspecting Espada... and a different world. Urahara Kisuke knows. He knows that Aizen will come after Orihime to lure Ichigo into Hueco Mundo... but for the sake of the world, some sacrifices must be made. (Rated M for swearing).
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : The last time I checked in the mirror, I wasn't Tite Kubo or Masashi Kishimoto and it's sad.**

**Chapter 1**

Starrk let out a yawn as he walked behind his fellow Espada. They are currently in the Garganta on the way back to Hueco Mundo after successfully 'borrowing' a human healer for Aizen-sama.

He glanced at the girl walking beside Ulquiorra, her head is down and she held her hands on her chest. Every now and then, she would glance at her company with fear in her eyes; visibly flinching and unconsciously moving her body to the side if an Espada gets too close.

She's obviously terrified.

Of course, she'd be stupid if she isn't. Imagine eating peacefully in your dining table and then out of nowhere, four grown ass men barges into your home, weird looking ones at that, and demand you come with them. She'd been unwilling to come at first but relented at the mention of her friends' safety.

He sighed. _Friends, _huh. He put his hands behind his head and began thinking about how he missed his bed. Beside him, he can hear Lilynette aggressively telling him not to fall asleep while walking again.

'_Tch. I'm supposed to be taking a nap at this hour,' _ he thought.

In front of him, Szayel and Grimmjow are busy arguing… something about being graceful. Whatever. The mission had gone suspiciously smooth. Too smooth that they didn't encounter even a single threat, thanks to Aizen-sama's reaitsu concealing cloaks which he claimed had been a gift to him from a friend ( which Starrk highly doubted because he doesn't really believe that the man has friends at all).

The fact that they didn't get to fight highly aggravated a certain bluenette who has a bad habit of punching holes on people. He began whining about wanting to fight a certain Substitute Shinigami whom he claimed had challenged him (doubt) and that he has a pride to protect. For his efforts, he earned a 'shut up' from a nihilist bat.

Starrk, for the life of him will never understand why Aizen-sama had specifically sent four Espada to get the girl when even Yammy alone can do the job. Actually, _nevermind_. The guy was a complete retard and will just end up killing the girl and drawing attention to himself. And their leader did mention something about being wary of a shop-keeper and his student and company.

He let out another yawn. Szayel and Grimmjow still arguing, this time about who's crazier. _Idiots_. He groaned and tuned them out choosing instead to listen to the more interesting and more relaxing sound of the wind howling behind them. Wait… what?! There's supposed to be no wind in the Garganta! He cursed as a strong wind hit him and almost sent him flying into Szayel.

"Starrk!" Lilynette screamed and clung unto him, panic and terror on her face as she stares at a massive whirlwind of reishi heading their way in an incredible speed.

"What the fuck is that?!" Grimmjow all but screamed at his ears, unconsciously gripping his left arm. "Who cares? Run, you moron!" Szayel yelled over his shoulders, already sprinting away. It was then proven to be futile as the foothold of reishi beneath their feet got sucked into the vortex. _Shit! _Before theycould figure out anything, they've been hurled into the center of the spinning reishi.

**Karakura Town**

A certain shop-keeper smirked while staring at his monitor. Aizen's precautions has worked into his advantage. Now that's four Espada out of the way. Also, if Aizen was planning on using Orihime to lure Ichigo into Hueco Mundo, he'll have to look for some other way to do that.

"Will she be alright, Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked, eyes not leaving the monitor as the six who are passing the Garganta got hurled into the whirlwind.

_I hope so. _He remained silent and reached out for a small round device with an image of Shun Shun Rikka on it.

"I had a hunch that _he _will come for her," he chose to say instead. And that's the reason why he'd inserted something on her Shun Shun Rikka. "I temporarily locked them away into another dimension while we go to war. They can't come back until I will it."

Yoruichi started. Eyes leaving the monitor and looking at him like he grew a head. "What?!"

He didn't meet her gaze. "For the sake of the world, some sacrifices must be made. I just hope that wherever they may end up in, she'll be able to survive for a _few _days."

_Now how do I tell her friends about this? _He's student will most likely kill him.

**Konoha**

Team 7 minus a certain brooding Uchiha stood on the training grounds as Kakashi explained the rules for the bell test, which is unnecessary since they've done this before, to his former students. _There were three of them back then. _He pushed the thought out of his mind. It has been 3 years since Sasuke left Konoha for the Sound, Naruto had just returned from his training with Jiraiya and while he was away, Sakura had taken the opportunity to become Tsunade's apprentice.

They have grown.

" The rules are the same as before," Kakashi began. "Use whatever tactics you wish to take the bells from me. You have until sunrise tomorrow."

"This place does brings back memories…" Naruto said, looking around with nostalgia.

"… oh, right. This was the site for your very first exercise," the jounin replied, flipping his book to the next page.

"Team 7…" Sakura said more to herself than anyone. With that, sadness filled the faces of the two teens. Kakashi sighed and closed his book making the two snap out of their melancholy and look at their former sensei with determination.

"So, not gonna read this time, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto smirked.

"No. I'll finish it later," the copy-cat ninja replied, adjusting his forehead protector and exposing his Sharingan. "Besides, I believe that this time I need to make more of a serious effort."

"Heehee, I won't hol—"

Sakura's startled gasp drew both of their attention, cutting Naruto's response.

"Sakura-chan?"

The pinkette didn't answer him as she stared at the sky; mouth agape and bewilderment in her eyes. The two shinobi followed her gaze and gasped as a tear appeared in the sky and opened up like a mouth before spitting out a few objects covered in blue flames.

"Woah! What is that?!" Naruto yelled which nobody bothered to answer considering the fact that nobody really knows. He did however succeed in snapping them out of their daze.

"Sakura! I need you to report this to the Hokage right now. Naruto and I will be going ahead to assess this!" Kakashi said with urgency glancing at the sky which is already closing, leaving the 'flames' to fall towards the other side of the village. Sakura disappeared in a blink of an eye. "Let's go, Naruto!"

They were halfway across the village when Gai joined them. The two senseis nodded to acknowledge each other when the objects crashed where Team 8 usually trains, the impact sending dirt and rocks flying up into the air and into the village. The three stopped and shielded their eyes from the dust coughing with the amount of dirt they inhaled. Below them, he can hear the screams of civilians and crying children as they run further away from site. Kakashi hoped nobody was using the training grounds at this time.

"What the hell…" Naruto muttered when they arrived at the site.

There in the middle of the training grounds was a massive crater. Around them, a few trees were uprooted and thrown a few meters away. They made their way towards the crater to collect any remnants of the collision that they can use for investigation.

"Careful Naruto, it could be an enemy attack," Kakashi reminded. Those were definitely not meteors or asteroids, of that he is sure. His eyes widened for the hundredth time that day. Whatever he expected to find in the crash site, it's definitely not this! Those are…

"Kakashi, those are people!" Gai said before jumping in the crater to get a closer look. He looked at his rival with a somber look. "Do you think it's the Akatsuki's doing?"

Kakashi joined him and prodded a pinkette with his foot. Not any sort of response. "It could be." He eyed the rest of the group, most of them are wearing all white and had their faces planted on the ground. He saw Gai turn over a person with black hair and a broken helmet with a horn.

They gasped in unison when they saw the hole in his sternum. They shared a look then Kakashi checked the man's pulse but found it to be perfectly normal. His skin was deathly pale and teal lines descended from below his eyes. The shinobi frowned and walked over to the man lying a few feet away from them.

This one has light blue hair with a jawbone attached to his right jaw and a hole in his stomach.Curious, he tried to tug the jawbone but it seems stuck making the bluenette wince unconsciously. He immediately let go.

Just like the other one, he seems perfectly fine, save for a few bruises and scratches due to the fall. _What the actual fuck? Who are these people?_ _What's with the attire? The holes and the bones? How did they survive the fall?_

"Kakashi-sensei, there's a civilian over here," Naruto called kneeling beside a girl with caramel hair. Huh? He was immediately by his student's side. For some reason, the girl was in her pajamas in the middle of the day. And what was she doing in the training grounds? "Is she alive?" he inquired.

"Fortunately yes, she's not even scratched," the boy looked up to him. What? "Naruto, I think she's one of them," he pointed over his shoulders. "What?! But she looks different from them!" the blonde said, looking at the girl then at the other unconscious individuals. _I know right. _"She doesn't hav—"

"Who are these people?!" the voice of the Hokage thundered from the upper ground. As if on cue, the crater was then surrounded by ANBU. Sakura appeared, standing beside the blonde woman.

Naruto opened his mouth but closed them again when Tsunade raised her right hand to silence him. "ANBU! Take those who are still alive and put a chakra suppressing seal on them and bind them. We'll take them with us and get our answers!"

**AN: English isn't my first language so forgive me if my English sucks. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I'm never going to be as talented as the creators of these manga.**

**Chapter 2**

Grimmjow groaned as footsteps and murmurs woke him up from his nap. Opening his eyes, he saw Szayel trying to sit up from his lying position beside him. _What the fuck? That bastard…_

"Oi, freak! What are you doing in my room?!" he growled. He made to reach up for the scientist when he discovered that he was bound. His arms are bound to his body, his hands are tied up, and so are his feet. _That fucker…_

"Teme, as if I'd let you dissect me, huh! Release me now before I blast you away with my cero!" he thundered. He'll be more than happy to put this freak in his place and make sure he never mess with the panther ever again.

"Grimmjow, why would you assume that I would waste my time analyzing an uninteresting specie such as yourself?" the Octava retorted smugly. Grimmjow was sure that if he wasn't bound, he'd be adjusting his glasses by now. _Huh? _Now that he mentioned it, the pinkette is actually in the same situation as him. He frowned. Then he realized something…

"DID YOU JUST FUCKING SAY I'M BLAND AND GENERIC?" he yelled.

"Shut up! I'm so tired…" he heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned his head to get a glimpse of the lazy brunette who was rolling over to make himself more comfortable and went back to sleep which made his other half raise her legs and drop her heels on his face repeatedly.

"Starrk, don't you dare go back to sleep! We've been caught!"

The lazy male groaned and sat up effortlessly, scooting over to the wall and leaning his head. Eyes closed. Beside him, Ulquiorra sat with his usual expression while the human girl they kidnapped was staring straight ahead. Worry in her eyes.

A cough brought Grimmjow back to reality and he threw a glare at the culprit. That was when he noticed the other occupants of the room. _Humans…? They've been caught and bound by fucking HUMANS?! _This thought made him laugh so hard he almost cried. The humans just looked at him as if he just lost his head.

"I don't know what you found funny in the whole situation but you just destroyed one of our training grounds and caused fear and panic amongst our village people. We need answers and we are going to get it even from your corpses," a large man with scars in his face stated. Behind him stood two men with the same black garb as him.

In one corner of the room sat a blonde woman while an elderly man with white hair and a horned forehead protector that says 'oil' stood beside her with his arms crossed on his chest. He spotted a silver haired man with a mask and another man with a bowl cut hair and unusually thick eyebrows standing on the left side of the room. On the other side, a pink haired girl stood with a blonde guy with whiskers on his cheeks.

"Such arrogance," Ulquiorra stated. "To think that trashes like you could ever dream of causing harm to an Espada. You would know better than to let your filthy men lay a single finger…"

"A-ano… Gomen ne, please don't mind him, he's just a little confused. Please forgive us for the disturbance we caused, we didn't mean to cause you any trouble," surprisingly, the human girl interrupted, bowing her head to the man.

"You dare interrupt me, woman?" Ulquiorra turned to the girl while emanating a dark aura, causing the humans to look at him warily. The girl looked up and scooted away from the Espada in fear. "Why did you speak when I didn't ask you to do so?"

A hand rested on the Cuatro Espada's shoulders. "Ulquiorra, you're scaring her," a lazy voice said. Everyone's eyes turned to the unbound lazy male who was adjusting his zanpakuto in his waist, and gasps were heard across the room.

"How did you get free and when did you manage to get your swords back?!" the man thundered gesturing at his men to restrain him.

Not a second after Starrk handed Ulquiorra his Murcielago, he had a kunai held against his throat and the zanpakuto of his comrades was forcefully taken from his grip by the other man. "I saw our zanpakuto leaning on the wall behind the woman so I just took it back." He scratched his head before yawning, undaunted by the weapon on his neck. "You know, it's not nice to steal other people's weapons and then threaten them with a knife." He glanced at his assailant. "That's dangerous."

The nihilist looked at the human girl and at the other occupants of the room before snapping the chains as if it's thread. "We're leaving," he held out his hand to open a Garganta, however, the air merely distorted and went back to normal. He narrowed his eyes and tried again but still nothing.

"Oi! What the fuck! I want to go home!" Grimmjow whined and decided to break his chains as well before throwing a punch at the man keeping their zanpakuto which sent him flying towards 'Scar Face'. Before he could land on the other man, the Sexta caught the poor shinobi by the collar and hurled him to the floor and took the two remaining zanpakuto from his hand. This snapped the people out of their daze and before he knew it, 'Scar Face' had him lying on his stomach with his hands behind him. A knee was firmly pressed on his back and a kunai was held on the side of his neck.

"How dare you attack my men in my presence!" the blonde woman yelled, pissed.

"As if I give a fuck about who they are and who the fuck you are, bitch!" Grimmjow sneered. The man holding him pushed the kunai against his throat. "Watch your tone, stranger. That's our Hokage you're speaking to." Before Grimmjow could answer, the bulky man was hoisted off him and a hole appeared on the wall where he was thrown. Outside the building, they can hear people scurry to wherever the man landed and called for a medic.

"Stand up, Grimmjow," came Ulquiorra's monotonous voice. "We don't have time to play around."

Tsunade was furious. _The nerves of these strangers!_ She glanced at Kakashi and Guy and was about to order them to restrain or incapacitate them while she calls for back-up when the pink haired stranger spoke.

"Hmm… if I were you, I'd leave them alone," he flipped his hair and adjusted his glasses. Tsunade wasn't surprised anymore that he got out of his chains as well. Beside him, the bluenette was sitting up while brushing inexistent dust from his jacket and pants. The bespectacled man glanced at Tsunade and smirked. "Lady, if you want less casualties, don't even think of laying a single finger on any of us, you wouldn't want to know what an Espada is capable of."

"Was that supposed to be a threat?" she growled. She's almost at the verge of her patience after seeing Ibiki and his men getting trifled with and this man is not helping at all. In the corner of her eyes, she can see Sakura heal the injured member of the Interrogation team.

"Oh dear, not at all," he dramatically said and placed his right hand in his chest as if he was hurt by the accusation. "Just a little precaution." He paused before smiling at her maliciously. "Don't misunderstand, I don't really care about you and your people's pathetic lives, but I might find something or someone here interesting and I, for one, like my specimen screaming."

Tsunade involuntarily shivered. She really doesn't enjoy talking to these people, however, they need answers. There's a very big chance they've been sent by an enemy nation or the Akatsuki, they need all the information they can get. She had the Analysis Team try to access minds while they were unconscious but they were kicked out by some strong pressure. In the caramel haired girl's case, they had reported that there was some kind of orange barrier surrounding her, preventing them from performing any jutsu on her. And now, the Interrogation Team… She decided she needs a drink after this.

"Alright people, we won't get anywhere with this and I'm so tired," the man standing beside the raven said. He looks like he's about to fall asleep in his feet.

"Can you remove your weapon now? I'm not really that kind of person who enjoys fighting," he glanced at the unmoving man who was holding a kunai against his throat. Tsunade was a little relieved to see that the man hasn't attacked her shinobi yet. The shinobi glanced at her for approval and she nodded her head. The weapon was lowered down and the man took a step back. "I assume you are their leader, right? And that you just have a few questions?" he lazily looked at her before yawning. She nodded.

"Starrk, what…."

"Leader-san, before we answer your questions, can you tell us where we are?" he went on, ignoring the little girl who grabbed the hem of his jacket.

This question grabbed the attention of his comrades and they looked at him questioningly.

The Hokage doesn't see the harm in the question so she immediately replied. "Konoha. You're in Konoha."

The caramel haired girl gasped and panic filled her face. The sleepy man looked at her then back at the Hokage. "How far is Karakura Town from here?"

The humans looked at each other in confusion. This time, Jiraiya answered. "There's no such place as that. I've travelled almost everywhere in the world for my 'research' but I've never heard of a place called Karakura Town."

"What do you mean there's no Karakura Town here, old man?! Are you telling us that we were just imagining that fucking town the whole time, huh?!" the blue haired war freak was about to attack Jiraiya but was held back by his pink haired comrade. "What was that all about, you bastard?!"

"You not using your head is what it was all about," pinky told him before turning his attention to Jiraiya. "So you're saying that the country Japan does not exist here?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "The world is divided into five great shinobi nations; Earth, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Fire. And a few minor countries such as Mountains, Neck, Keys, Swamps, That, This, and etc." A pause. "I've never heard of a Japan nation."

This time, the girl in pajamas burst into tears. The strangers ignored her except for the 'little girl' who was yelling at her for being a cry baby. _Why is this girl dressed like that? Why did her parents allow her to dress so provocatively? She's like eight! Where are her parents anyway?_

'Sleepy' merely nodded his head and stepped back while 'Pinky' clasped his hands in front of his chest and looked delighted.

"Sugoi! Sugoi! This is truly delightful, don't you think?" the man turned to his comrades with glee. "While we're here, we can collect some specimen and samples we can take back to Hueco Mundo with us!" The man then continued to blabber about science and experiments. Blah blah.

"So you have any other questions?" Tsunade turned her attention to the brown haired man. The man thought for a moment then shook his head. "I'm too tired to think right now, go ahead and ask, Leader-san."

"Oi, what the fuck do you think you're doing giving in to these pathetic humans, lazy ass?!" his maniac comrade grabbed the other man by the collar.

"What a drag. What do you think are we supposed to do, Grimmjow?" the other drawled, clearly unaffected by his comrade's outburst. "We obviously would be unable to go back, so we must stay in this world until we can open a Garganta or until Aizen-sama decides to find us. They need answers and we do as well and we won't get them if we'll just keep on attacking each other."

"He's right," surprisingly, it was the raven who spoke. "Let him go, Grimmjow."

_So this war freak is called Grimmjow, huh. What an odd name._

"Alright, first things first, can you give us your names?" she eyed the people in front of her. She's getting tired of referring to them as 'Sleepy', 'Raven', 'War Freak' and etc. in her head.

"I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Don't you ever forget my name, humans!" _Huh?! Grimmjow Jaborwhhat? How are we supposed to remember that kind of name? _

In the corner of her eyes, she can see Naruto scratch his head in confusion and Sakura's face contort.

"I'm Coyote Starrk," a pause. "Call me Starrk." Tsunade sighed in relief. At least this man is perceptive enough. "That one over there is Szayelaporro Granz," he pointed to 'Pinky' who was squatting on the floor mumbling to himself about hybrids and new abilities. "Call him Szayel." She nodded at him gratefully.

"Ulquiorra Cifer."

…..

"My name is Lilynette Gingerbuck!" the girl pointed at herself enthusiastically. _What's her name again?_

"I'm Orihime Inoue," the girl bowed respectfully, she had stop crying half a minute ago. Tsunade looked at her. She's the only one left who's bound. _And she actually has a normal name. _

"Why does she have a normal name?!" Naruto loudly asked which earned him a smack in the head by Sakura.

"If you found our names hard, just call him Grimmjow," Starrk motioned to his comrade, pronouncing his name slowly. " .Rra and .Nette. It's just easy." _Like hell it is!_

"Thank you, Starrk." She turned to the girl named Orihime. "Are you sure you're with them?"

Uqou.. Ulqoo… Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at her and was about to speak when the girl answered with an eager nod. "Yes of course! I am with them but… I'm not really like them... I mean… I'm too weak to be an Espada," the girl grinned sheepishly.

The Hokage merely nodded and eyed the strangers. Throughout the whole five minutes that they've 'interacted', she got the idea that they weren't sent by any enemy organization, however, she still need to know how they got here in the first place. "Do you have any business with our village?"

"Like hell we do! We don't even know you people!" Grimmjow answered looking around the room before sitting on the floor.

"If you want to know how we got here, we also cannot give you much information. There was just this whirlwind and we got sucked into it and when we woke up, we're here," Starrk added.

She raised her eyebrows at this. _Whirlwind, huh…_

"You've mentioned that you guys are Espada," she cleared her throat. "What's an Espada?"

"The Espada is the name given to the ten strongest arrancar. We were ranked from 10 to 1*, 10 or Deis being the weakest and 1 or Primera being the strongest," Ulquiorra explained, expression unchanging.

She started. "When you say arrancar, is it some kind of army?" she inquired. They merely nodded. She really need a drink after this. Not only did aliens land on her village, but four of the most powerful soldiers from wherever they came from at that.

"So who amongst you guys is the strongest?" _Thanks Naruto, asking what matters._

"Our rank doesn't concern you," Ulquiorra responded not even throwing a glance at Naruto's way. The whiskered blonde pouted at that, making a face when no one was watching.

"Our number is tattooed in various parts of our body," Grimmjow said from where he was squatting on the floor beside a now sleeping Starrk. She doesn't mind the indecency, as long as they keep from attacking her men and causing havoc in the village. "Mine is at my back!"

"Really?! Can you show us? That must be an impressive tattoo!" Naruto slyly said, giving Sakura, who shook her head in amusement, a meaningful look.

"Ha! You said it, kid!" the Espada jumped on his feet and give them his back before raising his jacket to expose his tattoo. Tsunade winced by the fact that she can see the other side of the room through the hole in his torso. _It's creepy…_

"Woah!" Naruto and Sakura said in unison.

" l am the Sexta Espada!" the man yelled before laughing maniacally. The jounins in the room looked at each other and shook their heads. Tsunade leaned back on her seat. _So he is the sixth strongest…_

"I am the king and I hate cowards! I despise them… you humans should know better to remember that," he suddenly said, his laughter gone. "I love to fight, it doesn't matter who they are… women, children, animals, if they are on my way, I will fucking kill all of them!"

Silence. Everyone stared at the wild man with unreadable expressions on their faces. Tsunade opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. She sweat dropped. _Shit! I need to say something… anything… _

"O-okay.." _What?! _She was so surprised with herself she almost gasped. Almost. Everybody turned to look at her and she so wanted to die.

"Grimmjow, keep it down, will you? I'm sleeping…" Starrk sleepily said from the floor unknowingly saving her from further embarrassment. The Sexta turned to him and yelled how it wasn't the right place to sleep in the first place and that he should go crawl inside a grave if he wants silence.

The Hokage let out a sigh of relief when everyone's attention turned to the duo and watched as Lilynette yelled at Grimmjow for being loud and how this hour is Starrk's usual naptime.

"Hey! Why do you guys have a hole in your body?!" Naruto asked out of nowhere. _Ahh… the question everybody has always wanted to ask but are too proper to do so._

"Huh? We're born with it, kid!" It was the girl Lilynette who answered.

"Oi! You're also a kid, kid! You're even younger than I!" Naruto retorted.

"I'm not a kid! Arrancars don't have age!" Lilynette yelled back.

"What?! How is that even possible?!"

"Boy, don't get yourself so worked up with things mere humans won't understand." Szayel threw an overly sweet smile towards Naruto before his face lit up as if remembering something important. "Oh! And we forgot to tell you an interesting fact about the Espada!" he raised his index finger in front of him. "Each Espada represents a certain aspect of death which corresponds with our ideologies, abilities, and reasons of existence."

The humans looked at each other in uncertainty and apprehension. Tsunade gulped before speaking. "You mean…" she intentionally let the statement hang.

"To put it simply," he ran his fingers through his hair. "The ten Espada are the physical embodiments of the ten reasons why humans die."

*I'm not sure if they were aware of Yammy's secret so…

**AN: Sorry for the grammatical mistakes.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I'll never be as talented as the creators of these manga.**

**AN: Warning. Grammatical Errors and Grimmjow's mouth.**

Tsunade was appalled. What kind of beings have landed on her village? She doesn't want anything to do with them but just letting these people walk away is not an option. That would be plain stupid. _I don't even have any idea on how powerful these people are._

If only they can go back to wherever they came from already. How long are they gonna stay here? A day? A week? Months? What is she gonna do with these people while they're here? Ugh… she already has a lot in her hands, she doesn't need these beings adding to her and the village's problems.

"I believe we have answered all your inquiries. We'll take our leave," the green eyed Espada stated before turning to his comrades. Grimmjow was about to raise himself from the floor when Tsunade raised her hand, halting them in the process. "Wait!"

Ulquiorra turned his body and stared at her with blank eyes. "I haven't dismissed you people yet! Where do you think you're going?"

"We do not need your approval for our actions, woman. The Espada only follows one person," he uttered, gazing at her haughtily. "And wherever we choose to go is none of your concern."

"You—"

"Sakura!"

The Hokage took a deep breath and clenched her fists, trying to calm herself. _No need for a brawl right now. No need for a brawl right now…_

She looked at the rest of the group before answering, thinking of a way to make them stay for the meantime without having to resolve to force. The girl Orihime was looking at her apologetically. Grimmjow was back on sitting on the floor with boredom in his face, yawning while watching Lilynette try to wake Starrk. Szayel was looking all around the room as if searching for something, subsequently raising his hand as if feeling the air.

"Look, I am also not fond of the idea of keeping you here inside my village…" she started before being cut off by Grimmjow.

"Huh?! So you stopped us from getting the fuck out of this place just to tell us that you want us gone? Are you tryna fuck with us?" he asked while massaging the jaw bone attached to his right jaw, sheer confusion in his face.

"Oi! Don't t—"

"Just let me finish, will you?" Tsunade snapped, cutting Naruto off. The Espada raised his eyebrows before nodding at her. She cleared her throat.

"As I was saying—"

"Stop that, Lilynette! I'm awake! I'm awake, alright!" Starrk suddenly sat up, wincing in pain while holding his stomach where the girl's heels had been planted seconds ago. In the corner of her eyes, she can see Naruto trying to hold back a laugh.

"Morning Starrk!" the girl grinned back at the man. "Ulquiorra said we're leaving now."

"Nobody's leaving yet!" the busty woman yelled. She's really about to lose it with these people. "Will anybody let me finish talking first without interruptions?!"

"What do you still need from us, Leader-san?" Starrk asked wearily while rubbing sleep off his eyes. Tsunade is kind of relieved that the man is awake, he is easily the most reasonable in the group.

"Nothing really," she bluntly said. "However, I cannot allow you people out of our village just yet." The man narrowed his eyes at her in confusion before nodding in understanding.

"I see. You deemed that letting four unsupervised Espada roam freely around the world would be dangerous," he sat cross legged on the floor, leaning his head on the wall behind him. "That we would destroy anything in our way and cause havoc, or worse, be caught and used by terrorists and your enemies, am I right?"

Her eyes widened. _Is he a mind reader? Or is he just highly intelligent?_

"No. I'm not a mind reader," he said out of nowhere. _Now I'm beginning to doubt that claim._

"I'm really not," he solemnly looked at her. _What the hell?! _"It's the only reasonable excuse that I can think of."

"You are very smart then," she chose to say. "You were right, it was like you were reading my mind. I'm impressed."

"That's unfair!" Grimmjow suddenly yelled, looking at Starrk accusingly. "Why did Aizen-sama gave you so mu—"

"Aizen-sama didn't give me anything but my rank and comrades, Grimmjow," Starrk looked at him tiredly.

"So the rumors were true?!" Szayel looked at his comrade with bewilderment.

"Which rumor?" he frowned.

"That you were already an Arrancar when Aizen-sama found you!" Szayel kneeled in front of him and gripped his shoulders while Grimmjow sat closer to him completely forgetting their audience. Even the stoic man was staring at his comrade with interest.

Tsunade frowned. _What are these people talking about?_ She glanced at Jiraiya who has an impatient look on his face. She was contemplating knocking them out while their guards are down and throwing them to prison. Would that even do any good? Or are they capable of destroying their prison cells? Damn it. _Walking out and getting wasted in the nearest bar seems to be so tempting right now._

"What a drag," he sighed. "Can we talk about it later?"

"Why talk about it later when we can fucking talk about it now?" the blue haired man asked impatiently.

The lazy man scratched his head and yawned. "We still have things to settle with the humans, Grimmjow."

"Tch. That's because you insist on playing nice, lazy ass!" the man turned and looked at the shinobi. "Just watch me settle things with my Cero!"

"Grimmjow, don't you dare blast away my potential specimen!" the pinkette glared.

The blonde woman massaged her temples. The urge to knock the strangers out cold growing every second.

"So what you want to say is that we have to stay here in your village until this is all over?" Szayel turned to them and stood, brushing away imaginary dusts from his pants.

She nodded.

-LINEBREAK-

Kakashi listened as the Hokage went on to talk the strangers into just staying in the village and whatsoever. He understood how risky it would be to just let them go. They don't need these people to be wrecking havoc anywhere and gaining too much attention when the Akatsuki is also out there. Besides, if these people are really powerful, it would be an advantage to have them on their side.

"We are not inclined to stay here any further, woman," the stoic man said. "The Espada will indulge your meaningless talks no more. Keep your worries and fears to yourself, we want to hear none of them. Whatever happens to this world of yours is none—"

"Ulquiorra, what about the girl?" the lazy man looked up to him from his seat on the floor.

"Why did you interrupt me with such stupid inquiry?" he answered, gaze still locked on the Hokage. "We are taking her with us."

"You know that's not what I meant," he shook his head. "She is unlike the rest of us, she needs human food and shelter to survive." He paused and lowered his gaze to the floor. "Who knows until when are we going to be stuck in this world?"

"You care too much," he glanced at the girl. "She is but a mere pawn."

"Aizen-sama wouldn't be happy if we lose her," the man named Starrk sighed. The raven remained silent at that, staring at the floor in a contemplative manner.

Kakashi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He saw the Hokage relaxed on her seat in the corner of his eyes. This stranger… he has this constant dark aura around him that becomes almost suffocating whenever he speaks. He shivered.

"Lady, you mentioned enlisting us in your shinobi forces if deemed trustworthy enough," the one who was introduced as Szayel pointed out, playing with his hair. "What's in it for us?"

"Of course you'll be paid for your services just like our shinobi," the Hokage replied. "You would need money for your necessities here."

The group looked at her with curiosity. "Money? What the fuck is that?" the hot-headed man asked. "Will it make me stronger?" _Eh? _Kakashi frowned.

"Money is the means to buy things in this world such as food, clothings and of course, a place to live," Tsunade-sama explained.

"You need this thing called money for those?" the pinkette asked to no one in particular. Tsunade-sama merely nodded. "Hey girl! You know how to use this money thing?" he called to the girl in pajamas who nodded eagerly.

"So you don't have money from where you came from?" Naruto asked curiously. The group merely shook their heads. "How did you get paid in your Espada jobs?"

The bespectacled man shook his head in amusement. "Boy, you misunderstood. We didn't join Aizen-sama to get paid," he adjusted his glasses. "It's actually the other way around. We joined him to repay his kindness to us."

"Woah. This Aizen person must be awesome then," Naruto said to no one in particular.

This made the blue haired man double over in laughter. His comrades completely ignored him as if they're completely used to it.

"Did I say something stupid?" Naruto asked, his face contorted in confusion while looking at the bluenette.

"Don't mind him. He's always like that," the sleepy one answered. _We noticed too. _"Anyway, where will we be staying while we're under probation or something?"

This made the laughing man stiffen and forgot his mirth. He yanked the brunette by his collar. "What?! Who said we're fucking staying?! Why the fuck are you deciding for us, you lazy fucker?!" he yelled at his comrades face. "I ain't staying with these weakass bitches! Ya hear me?!"

"Where do you suggest we go then, Grimmjow?" the man drawled, looking directly at his comrades eyes.

"I don't fucking care where as long as I get to fight and kill 'em wussies, Starrk!"

"You're such a drag… You'll get to fight eventually, Grimmjow."

"WHEN?!"

"You were not listening…"

"Nobody fucking asked me to listen and y'all were just talking shit!"

"Tch. How troublesome. Where we are right now is a shinobi village. For now, we will be under probation but if they reckon we are trustworthy enough and we still can't go back to Hueco Mundo, we will be allowed to work and fight with them."

"Shinobi? So I—"

"No. You're not allowed to fight and kill any villagers."

"WHY FUCKING NOT?!"

"You are only to fight an enemy, Grimmjow."

"I decide who are my enemies, you lazy motherfucker!"

"The enemies of this village are strong, you'd like to fight them."

"Really?!" the man's face brightened like a child in a candy store and released the man's collar, gripping his shoulder's instead. He turned to the Hokage. "Are your enemies really strong?"

Every shinobi in the room nodded. "Very strong," Naruto added. "Youthfully strong!" Gai shouted from beside Kakashi.

Upon hearing this, the man began to laugh maniacally. "Great! Fucking great! I can't wait to meet those motherfuckers! Starrk, we're staying! I'll kill every single one of them!"

-LINEBREAK-

Kakashi mentally swore as he walk towards his house. Around him, he can hear the villagers whisper among themselves at the sight of their odd company. _Ugh. Why did Tsunade-sama chose my home of all place? _Beside him, the stoic man was looking directly ahead, unblinking. Just a few steps behind them strode the blue haired man and the pinkette who were arguing while walking in between Gai and Jiraiya-sama. "Why am I walking beside you again, freak?!" "I was the first to stand here, you moron!" "No! I walked the fuck out of the room before you, you wuss!" "Well then, it's your fault for walking so slow, dumbass!"

"Mommy look! That man has a hole below his neck!" a boy, probably four, pointed at the man beside him. The mother swatted the kid's hand and dragged him away whispering something in his ears. "But he must be in pain! He's even crying!" Kakashi heard the boy whine from a distance.

At the back of the group, he can hear Naruto telling the lazy man not to mind the villager's attention while Sakura was trying to calm the Arrancar girl who was glaring daggers at people.

Kakashi sighed. In addition to his 'guests'; Gai, Jiraiya-sama, Naruto and Sakura will also have to stay over as additional safeguard aside from a few ANBU who will be stationed at least fifty meters away from his house. _It's just for tonight while the Hokage makes some arrangements. _At least that's what she said.

Seven long minutes later, the group has finally arrived at his house and his guests made themselves comfortable in his couch looking so out of place. The stoic man, however, remained standing by the doorway and looked around him.

"Come in, Ulquiorra-kun! Don't be shy, make yourself at home in my cool rival's youthful abode!" Gai exclaimed while throwing a thumbs-up and his usual grin at the man's way. The man just stared at him, expression unchanging before walking over to sit beside an already sleeping Starrk.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING.**

**AN: Feel free to correct any grammatical mistakes you will find. Please don't kill me for it, English ain't my first language. Also, thanks for the reviews.**

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"Uhm… so do you guys want some tea?"

Kakashi didn't expect his guests to be so enthusiastic with the mere mention of a drink. The pinkette and the bluenette perked up to this and looked up to him with awe from their seats. The raven man snapped his head to his direction and the masked man was sure he saw a look of longing flash briefly in his blank eyes. Beside him, the lazy man slowly sat up and looked at him tiredly.

"Aaah, I'll take that as a 'yes'?" Kakashi scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly at his guests.

The lazy man nodded. "Hai. Thank you, shinobi-san."

"You're welcome and my name is Kakashi Hatake. You can call me Kakashi."

He nodded again. "Then please call me Starrk, Kakashi-san."

"A-ano… I can help you in preparing tea, Kakashi-san," the caramel haired girl offered, smiling nervously at him. She had been unbound before leaving the Intelligence building since it wouldn't make any sense leaving her that way when the others have already freed themselves.

"No, it's fine ah…" _What was her name again?_

"Orihime Inoue."

"Oh.. it's fine, Orihime-san," he restarted. "I have my former students to assist me," he motioned to Sakura and Naruto who was sitting on his kitchen counter and smiled at her reassuringly. He glanced at Jiraiya-sama and Gai who was sitting near the entrance and nodded before leaving the room.

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.

"This tastes wonderful, humans," the bespectacled man's eyes widened before downing his cup. Sakura reached over to refill it. Kakashi has noticed that she, alongside Naruto, had been throwing 'discreet' glances towards the guests every time they swallow the liquid, wondering why it didn't spill out or pass by the hole in their body (he knows since he's been wondering the same thing too). "We've never had this kind of tea before."

"It's Jasmine tea," Naruto grinned at the man. "What did you usually have?"

The man shrugged. "We never knew it varied by taste," he stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger before clasping his hands in excitement. "Now that's a new discovery for me! I'll make sure to be acquainted with every kind of tea out there, then we can have different flavors in Hueco Mundo."

His comrades nodded at that and finished their tea in silence until Grimmjow raised his eyebrows at him and spoke. "Oi! You've mentioned that these two were your students," he motioned to Sakura and Naruto. "I believe that for you to be a shinobi teacher, you must be strong. Are you?"

"Well, I am a jounin. So… yeah, I'm strong," he nodded and Grimmjow widely grinned at this.

"Not just strong, my eternal rival is super strong! Youthfully strong!" Gai added enthusiastically. _Gai, you… a challenge from this guy is the last thing I need!_

"He was also a genius and is widely known! We heard he graduated the Academy at the age of 5 instead of the usual 12, became chunnin at 6, and jounin at the age of 12!" Naruto said right after. Kakashi fought the urge to face palm. The guests, minus the stoic man, all looked at him in awe.

"Interesting! Let me dissect you!" the pinkette leaned over and studied him. Kakashi scooted a little further away from him.

"Not before I get to fight him!" Grimmjow yelled at his comrade's ears.

"First come, first serve, Pantera."

"What if I serve you with my fist first?"

"I wanna see you try!"

"If I try, you won't even be able to see it!"

"Who're you calling a slowpoke?!"

"I can never quite comprehend how the two of you manage to argue like children over trivial matters. Finish your tea," the stoic man said while sipping his tea. The pinkette merely huffed and followed his example.

"By the way, what day is it today, Kakashi-san?" Starrk suddenly asked.

Kakashi paused before answering. "It's January 16."

The pink haired man choked on his tea while his comrades looked at Kakashi with wide eyes. Orihime looks like she's about to cry again. "But it was the 31st of October when we left my home."

"That was almost three months ago," Sakura commented, wide eyed. "You couldn't have been travelling that long. Could it be…"

"It could be that your dating system is different from ours since this is a different world after all," Starrk finished for her. "Or a time lapse. How long have we been here, shinobi-san?"

"Almost seven hours," Sakura replied after thinking.

"THE WAR!" the blue haired man thundered and abruptly stood from his seat. He raised his right arm in front of him with his palm outwards and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. The air distorted before going back to normal. "KUSO!" He yelled angrily and punched the air. He grasped his hair before pacing in front of his comrades who all looks sullen. The shinobi all stood up warily with this sudden display of anger.

Kakashi gasped when the air around them suddenly became so heavy and suffocating. He grasped his tightening chest and he breathed through his mouth. _What's going on? _He felt a few beads of sweat roll from his temple to his neck.

"Kakashi-sensei…" he heard Sakura muttered. She was already slumped on the floor, trembling and breathing heavily. He himself began to feel lightheaded. Below him, his knees were shaking, as if unable to carry his weight.

Suddenly, the pressure in the air lifted and he slumped on the floor, breathing heavily. "Grimmjow, compose yourself," he raised his head weakly and saw Starrk standing in front of his pissed comrade, blocking the shinobi's view of him. "And keep your reaitsu on check, you almost killed them." He sighed when the bluenette said nothing. "Look, there's still a chance that the war hasn't started yet."

"Even without our assistance, there is no way Aizen-sama will lose to the Shinigami," the raven added. "Your foul behavior will not take us back to Hueco Mundo. Finish your tea."

The blue haired man grunted and took his seat between the lazy man and the pinkette.

"What… was that?" Jiraiya-sama asked with stern eyes, breath almost going back to normal.

"That's what we call a reiatsu," the pinkette answered matter of factly. "Mainly used by spiritual beings with powers such as Arrancars, Shinigami, and… some special humans. Reiatsu is reiryoku that is released from our body. In our world, the greater your reiryoku/reiatsu is, the more powerful you are. Most of us Espada has enough reiatsu to kill a normal human being just by being in our presence."

"How about on our way here earlier? There was a lot of civilians near us…" Gai said with a somber expression on his face.

The pinkette flipped his hair before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Aah.. well, that was because we can manipulate it. Duh. You people on the other hand, as I discovered earlier, aren't normal humans so normal releases won't affect you. However, this moron beside me, due to his childish tantrum, emitted a large amount of it that would have been enough to knock you out. Troublesome indeed," he shook his head dramatically.

A blur passed by him and before anyone could react, a powerful punch landed on the bluenette's left jaw and he would've went flying towards his right if nobody was sitting beside him. The impact sent his body towards his lazy comrade who was in turn was squashing the smaller stoic man between his back and the arm rest.

"Pervy Sage!"

"You…" Jiraiya-sama yanked the bluenette by the collar and shook him. "What was that for, huh? What if we ended up dead right there?!"

"Pervy Sage."

"Jiraiya-sama."

Naruto and Gai were suddenly on his side, each taking a hold of his forearms. Silently coaxing him to let the man go. The blue eyed man on the other hand, like the rest of his comrades, was gaping at him in disbelief.

He shook the man again before throwing him back to his seat and taking a step back. He sighed and massaged his temples before continuing in a calmer voice. "Please be mindful of your actions from now on. Life is precious for us shinobi. Every time we step out the door of our homes, we never know if we will still be able to walk back in. Yes, we constantly risk our lives for our village, but it doesn't mean we would willingly throw it away for meaningless things. If we died here just because of your tantrum, who would protect the people of Konoha?"

Upon hearing this, the man widened his eyes and looked at all the shinobi's faces as if seeing them for the first time before looking down at the floor in a contemplative manner. Jiraiya-sama eyed the rest of the group. "I don't want to hear this happening again. If it does, I don't care how powerful you people are, I will find a way to beat the hell out of you," he walked back to his seat but halted and winced in pain.

"What's wrong Pervy Sage?" Naruto questioned, concerned. The older man slowly raised his right hand and checked his knuckles just to find it badly bruised. "What the…" Naruto gasped. "You broke your knuckles, you old man!" Sakura immediately went over to heal it.

"What the hell is your skin made of?" Jiraiya-sama turned to the bluenette man.

"Tch, it's Hierro. An Espada's skin is thick as fuck, like iron. It's your fault for not asking before punching," he grumbled.

"Nobody asks people what there skin is made of before delivering a blow!" Jiraiya-sama retorted. The man just grunted in response.

"One more thing," the white haired Sannin raised his index finger and eyed the group sitting in the couch before fixing his gaze at the Sexta Espada. "Please tell me that was the most of this 'reaitsu' thing that you can release."

The bluenette looked down at him weirdly before answering. "Heh, you wish! But it's far from it. I can emit an even larger one than that especially in my released form."

Jiraiya-sama face palmed and groaned upon hearing this. He reached inside his robes and pulled out a bottle of sake.

"Released form?" Naruto asked in confusion.

The man sighed. "You don't really expect this to be our most powerful form, ne?"

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Dinner was awkward. They were still in Kakashi-sensei's living room since they really won't fit in his dining table and merely laid out the food on the table.

"Itadakimasu!" the humans said in unison. The odd guests however, merely stared at them and the food.

"Orihime-san, go ahead and eat. Unlike us, you need human food to survive. You must not starve yourself," the lazy man drawled.

"H-hai. I will! Thank you, Starrk-san."

"Don't tell us you do not eat these kind of food too," Pervy Sage stated while filling his plate with rice. His usual demeanor back after a bottle of sake.

"We've never tried human food before," the little Arrancar girl answered.

"Huh? What do you eat from where you're from?" Sakura-chan curiously asked.

"Arrancars don't get hungry," the girl said while swinging her legs on her seat. "And we only consume Hollows or human souls."

Gai-sensei spit out his food and the shinobi are immediately on their feet again ready to fight. The Arrancars looked at them in confusion while the little girl roared out in laughter. Starrk glared at her.

"I apologize. She didn't intend to scare you," he turned to the shinobi.

"Is what she said true?" Naruto asked, still in his fighting stance.

"Yes and no. Only Hollows consume wandering human souls. Some weaker Arrancars also dined on weaker beings like fellow Arrancars, Menos and Hollows to get stronger. The Espada, with the exception of number 9 and Szayel, don't need any of those," he explained and scratched his head tiredly. For some reason, the man reminded him of Shikamaru. _Lazy, always sleepy, calm and intelligent._

The shinobi group turned their eyes on the pink haired man who was waving his hands in front of him in defense. "I only eat special Arrancars that I've experimented on to heal myself." He rolled his eyes when the humans looked unconvinced. "Relax, those Arrancars were my subordinates. I won't get anything if I consume you."

"Your subordinates? Why would—"

"That's not important, Naruto," Pervy Sage interrupted. "None of you happened to be number 9, right?" he asked, eyeing the guests warily. Starrk shook his head.

"Of course, human," the bespectacled man pretend to shiver. "Nobody here is as hideous as Aaroniero."

"Oi! Don't call me 'human'!" the legendary pervert yelled at Pinky with his hands on his hips. "However, since you are not from here, I'll let that slide! I am one of the Legendary Sannin, the Toad Sage, Jiraiya!"

The pinkette merely looked up to him and blinked. "You are one odd person, human" he shook his head and leaned on the couch. "How interesting."

"Odd? Don't you know this person you call 'odd' is the one who gets all the women? And as if you're one to talk, 'subordinate eater'! And again, stop calling me 'human'!"

"I refuse," the man calmly said while playing with his hair. "Specimen don't have the right to demand."

"Specimen? You—"

"Jiraiya-sama, please go back to your food," Sakura-chan interjected.

"Girl, can't you see I'm—"

"Pervy sage, Granny will be surely mad when she hears—"

"Fine!" the man relented and huffed at the bespectacled man's direction before sitting and going back to his food.

"Please do try our food, even just a bite," Sakura-chan eyed the men who were still holding the utensils and motioned towards the food. The green eyed man opened his mouth to say something but closed again when the blue haired man reached over for the _Tonkatsu_ and took a bite from it. His comrades stared at him curiously.

"Damn. This tastes so fucking good! Here, just try," he tore a piece and handed it to the lazy man beside him. Starrk made to take off his left glove but paused as if realizing something and took off the right one instead. Naruto raised his eyebrows at this and glanced at the other shinobi in the room; they didn't seem to notice. Pervy Sage and Gai-sensei are focused on their food while Sakura-chan seemed to miss it and Kakashi-sensei… wait. He also seems to notice it by the way his right eyebrow rose for a few seconds before meeting Naruto's gaze and smiling behind his mask.

After the display of 'power' by the sixth Espada earlier, he became curious about the rank of the others in the room. The pink haired man did say that the greater the reiatsu, the more powerful one is. _He was that powerful and he was just sixth? Imagine what the first can do. Will he obliterate everyone in his way. Was he as bloodthirsty as this Grimmjow guy?_

"It's good. Lilynette, you should try it," Starrk called to the girl who eagerly nodded and did what she was told. "How about you, Ulquiorra?"

The raven merely shook his head. "Are you sure? It's tasty, you might like it," Starrk added.

"Tasty, good, bad. There is no way for a being such as I to know the difference," he fixed his gaze at the food in front of them.

"Let him be, Starrk," the bespectacled man said, wiping the sides of his lips with a napkin. "Least he begins preaching to us about nihilism again." The lazy man merely nodded and put on his right glove back on. Silence.

"One can never fully accept something that is beyond their comprehension," the stoic man said without lifting his gaze from the table. "I have no expectation for the Espada of Madness to see the meaninglessness of things in this world, including the notion of perfection that he so madly pursue."

The pink haired man gaped at him, his right eye twitching. "Now you've finally said it!" the man completely forgot his gracefulness and lost his composure. He shook his fist towards the stoic man before leaning over to reach him. His lazy comrade yawned before raising his left arm to keep the pinkette from reaching the stoic man who was staring at the wall. "Get out of the way or else I'll bite your arm off, Starrk!" The bespectacled man began yelling profanities and tried to scratch the raven's face. "Hand me that nihilist bat!"

Kakashi-sensei moved the table a little further from them to keep the food from ending on the floor. "Oi! Get the fuck off me, you freak!" the bluenette yelled. The pinkette ignored him and tried to grab the raven's hair.

"Szayel calm down," the lazy man said after catching his wrists. "Not now, we have an audience. At least settle this when no human is around, tch."

Upon hearing this, Pinky suddenly calmed down and sat properly, crossing his legs. He fixed his clothes and brushed inexistent dust from it before combing his hair with his fingers and adjusting his glasses. "Oh dear, how…" He cleared his throat on his fist "embarrassing. That was so unexpected from such a decent person such as I." He throw his hair behind him. "Please excuse my…" he threw a disgusted look at his blue haired comrade who was wiping his greasy hand on his pants. "_disgusting_ behavior."

The group of shinobi merely nodded and finished their dinner in silence after that.

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Later on that night, Kakashi directed his guests to the room they'll be staying in and instructed them to use the bathroom if they need to clean up. The girls were given a separate room and Sakura leant Orihime and Lilynette some of her clothes that she picked up from her home when she bought dinner that evening. Lilynette declined the offered garb and slept in her uniform.

The shinobi took turns in watching over the troublesome group especially since the stoic man insisted that he, unlike the rest, cannot feel sleepy.

It was almost midnight when a messenger came and delivered a message from the Hokage to meet them at 9:30 in the morning the next day in her office.

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**AN: I can't seem to shake off the feeling that something is terribly wrong with this chapter. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: There's no way I'm the creator of either Naruto or Bleach.**

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys. I really appreciate it. Again, please let me know if there are some grammatical mistakes and any mistake in general. Thanks.**

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**Chapter 5**

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Szayel glared at the closed doors with contempt. _How dare these insects made them wait for so long?!_ He had already mentally counted up to twenty since those three human went inside to report to their leader. He was sure he heard the masked man said it'll only take a second. _So that was a fucking lie?!_

The scientist has been in a foul mood since this morning. Who wouldn't be? He was stuck in this goddamn world without any spare clothings! What kind of fucked up shit did he do in his past life to ever deserve this punishment? He fought the urge to scream and pull his hair. The more he thinks about it, the filthier his clothes feel. He groaned for the hundredth time that morning. The whiskered boy beside him threw him a wary look but said nothing.

_Twenty-seven…_

_Twenty-eight…_

_Twenty-nine…_

He felt an itch on his neck. He ignored it.

_Thirty… _

_Thirty-one… _

_Thirty-two…_

He swears the dusts and dirt he accumulated is making his uniform heavy and stifling. He began to breath heavily.

_Thirty-three… _

_Thirty-four…_

Is that the voices of the germs he can hear mocking him and laughing at his misery?

_Thirty-five… _

_Thirty-six…_

"Augh! How dare you mock me, you lowly organism!" he yelled before ripping his shirt off his body and hurling it on the floor.

"O-oi! What's wrong?" the blonde boy turned to him in alarm and took a step away from him.

"That thing!" he pointed at the torn piece of clothing on the floor as if it's the most repulsive thing in the world. "It's filthy!"

"What the… Now you have to fucking walk around shirtless, dumbass!" Grimmjow clicked his tongue.

"Who cares?!" he retorted. "I'd go mad if I spend another second in that soiled garb!"

"Tch. Go mad? Aren't you—"

"Don't say it!" he snapped before reaching for his pants.

"NO!" the blond boy and the pink haired girl yelled in unison. As if on cue, the double doors opened and revealed the silver-haired man.

"Am I interrupting something?" he raised his eyebrows and eyed everyone in the lobby.

"You!" Szayel pointed at the shinobi accusingly. "You made us wait for forty-seven seconds, human!" The said human looked at him in confusion.

"You counted?" the blonde boy asked. The bespectacled man looked at him as if he's crazy.

"He said it'll only take a second," he said as if it's enough explanation itself.

The boy stared at him in astonishment before throwing his hands on his mouth to stifle a laugh. The scientist narrowed his eyes at him and was about to open his mouth to insult him when the masked man spoke.

"I apologize for making you wait," he grinned sheepishly at the Octava before stepping aside to let them pass. "The Hokage is already requesting for your presence."

The Espada stared him down before tossing his hair behind his shoulders and stepping inside the office with his comrades. At the corner of his eyes, he saw the caramel haired girl scamper over to retrieve his uniform. He didn't bother reprimanding her.

The blonde woman's eyes widened slightly when it landed on him.

"And why are you shirtless?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Dirt doesn't have any business near me," he answered. "So my shirt had to go." He placed a hand on his chest and shook his head regretfully. Did he just hear somebody snort? He swears he's going to rip that fucker's throat. He looked at the humans but all of them were staring straight at their leader with a serene expression.

"I see," the woman looked up to him with an unreadable expression and nodded. "How considerate of you to preserve my shinobi's innocence by keeping your pants on then. Keep it that way."

"Ha! As if there's anything to see underneath that uniform, ne Birdie?" Grimmjow crossed his arms and smirked at him.

The Octava gaped at him before throwing his hands on his groin as if he just got kneed in the balls.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" he screeched. "WERE YOU—"

"Oi! Don't flatter yourself, freak! Why the fuck would I spy on you?" the bluenette cut off. "I just heard it from Yy- … someone. But by the way you're bitching, it must be true then," the man grinned at his comrade.

"Who was this someone? I'll torture them when I get back to Hueco Mundo!" he spit out angrily at the Sexta.

**.**

**.**

Tsunade looked up to the group from behind her desk. She's never had to extend her patience this long for anyone as far as she can remember. Normally, they would have went flying out the door by now. _Or since yesterday. _However, common sense tells her that attacking these people wouldn't be a good idea.

Kakashi had reported to her everything that has transpired in his home, including number six's accidental display of power.

"_He succeeded in almost knocking us out with what he said is a meager amount of his spiritual pressure, Tsunade-sama." _

Her gaze landed at the blue haired man who just succeeded in provoking the bespectacled sighed and leaned back on her seat as the two men began to argue.

"Who was this someone? I'll torture them when I get back to Hueco Mundo!" the bespectacled man growled. "I will make them regret having been born and beg for death. I will show no mercy and paint the walls of Las Noches with their blood!"

"Just drop it! Nobody cares about your stupid hole, Birdie!"

"And nobody divulges my secret and just expect me to let it slide, braindead pussycat!"

"I believe I'm beginning to comprehend the meaning of the word 'annoyance' by simply watching the two of you interact," the stoic man spoke from beside number six.

"SHUT UP, BAT!" the two yelled at their comrade. The man's eyes widened for a millisecond before he closed them and sighed in resignation.

The pinkette huffed and proceed to rant about all the torture techniques that he shall inflict on the poor soul. Tsunade flinched when the man mentioned squeezing their kneecaps. She remembered hearing from Kakashi's report earlier that the scientist was known for eating his subordinates.

"_We overheard the stoic one refer to him as the Espada of Madness..."_

Madness indeed.

"Tch. Quit your bitching! I ain't telling! And you are not harming one of my Fracciones on my watch!" the bluenette snapped at his comrade whose eyes widened in realization upon hearing this.

"Fracciones?! I knew it!" the man gripped his hair and began to tremble. "I swear I'll shave his beloved golden hair before I kill him!"

"Ignore them," the raven stepped forward when the pinkette cupped his face with his hands and began to curse at the currently absent blabber. "Tell us why you summoned us here, woman."

The blonde woman shrugged off the lack of respect. She can get used to it. "I've made arrangements on where you'll be staying for the few weeks or months that you'll be on probation." The man stared at her with blank eyes and nodded, urging her to continue. "You will be staying with one of our most prestigious clans, the Hyuga clan. I've already discussed this with their head, they'll be expecting you today."

She never did enjoy conversing with Hiashi. _I mean, who does? _Whoever claims that they do is either stupid or… Hiashi. The man was hesitant at first to let all these dangerous beings in his manor and insisted that it is better to separate them and place them in different clans. She can actually see the logic behind the man's words. However, the way she sees it, they're least dangerous when they're all in the same place.

Tsunade glanced at the bespectacled man who was murmuring incoherent words while pinching the bridge of his nose. If they separate these people, who will prevent them from going on a rampage in her village? What will happen if they lose control of their reaitsu again? Although the green eyed man didn't really appear to be a troublemaker, he wouldn't hesitate on attacking anyone for a slight offense. Only one amongst the four men seems to actually hate fighting and fortunately, he seems to know which button to push to keep his comrades in place. She glanced at the lazy man who was almost asleep on his feet.

She reckoned that the Hyuga's 'all seeing eyes' would be advantageous in watching over their guests and it didn't take her long to convince the Hyuga head. He reluctantly accepted but not without threatening to make the village pay for the repairs of the damage the strangers will cause in his manor.

"While you are in probation, you cannot go outside and walk around the village without shinobi escort," she continued when the raven and his comrades remained silent. "You will expect that we will be watching your every move to make sure that you are no threat to us."

"Threat you say," the man muttered. "Keep in mind that we were never required to play nice with the likes of you, don't get in my way and I have no reason to cause you harm."

A knock on the door made the man avert his dead eyes from her.

"ENTER!" she yelled making the sleeping man stand in full attention. The doors opened and revealed the genius bastard of the Hyuga. He bowed in respect before fixing his gaze at her, not even sparing the other occupants of the room a glance. "Tsunade-sama".

Tsunade nodded in his direction before turning to the Espada. " This is Neji Hyuga. He shall escort you to the Hyuga compound. I would appreciate you not giving him and my ANBU so much trouble."

The men didn't bother to comment and turned to look at the one who just joined them.

"Such pretty tresses you got there, princess," the pinkette stated with an expression of awe on his face. "It's even more beautiful than Yylfordt's."

Tsunade saw the Hyuga's eye twitch.

"Tch. I bet bitch spends most of her damn time taking care of her shitty hair than on getting stronger." The Sexta waved his hand dismissively. " I won't waste my time fighting her."

Neji's eyes widened before it was filled with fury. He turned to the man with his Byakugan activated. "How dare you! I shall not simply stand here as you enunciate me of idleness, vanity and worst, weakness."

Grimmjow started upon hearing the words and looked at the prodigy in disbelief. "What the fuck! You're a man?"

Naruto burst out laughing but was immediately silenced by a smack at the back of the head by Sakura. Neji however merely frowned and deactivated his bloodline before looking at the Hokage with a meaningful look.

_Their guests don't have chakra coils._

She nodded at him. Just as she suspected. In place of chakra, they have this thing they call reaitsu. The busty blonde sighed. These people are too much headache. She fought the urge to grab a bottle of sake from one of her drawers. As much as she want them out of her village and back to wherever they came from, she knows there is nothing that they can do right now. She just needs to be patient.

**.**

**.**

Orihime stared at her feet. It's embarrassing when people around them stops whatever they were doing to simply watch and talk about them. She knows that they cannot help but look because of the strange appearance of her company but still… it's uncomfortable.

"They were the reason for the commotion yesterday."

"Do you think they were sent by enemy nations?"

"Who would wear bones as ornaments? Odd, ne?"

She decided to shut them out and let her mind drift somewhere else. Bad idea. A wave of loneliness hit her and she almost cried. Almost. She missed her home and friends so terribly. She shook her head, dismissing that line of thought. She cannot cry right now.

"Hey! Are you crying?" Lilynette held unto her right arm and looked up at her.

"Iie… I'm not crying, Lilynette-chan!" she grinned at the Arrancar sheepishly and waved her arms around. Ulquiorra stopped on his track a few steps ahead of her and turned to stare at her. She gulped and took a step back. He's scary. Somebody stepped forward and walked in front of her completely hiding her from the other man's cold eyes.

"Why stop in the middle of the road, Ulquiorra?" Starrk asked, seemingly oblivious. The other man ignored the question and continued on his way. Orihime sighed in relief. She reminded herself to thank the brown haired man for his kindness and consideration once she's given the chance. She wondered why someone like him decided to work for Aizen. What could have Aizen offered or given him in exchange for his loyalty?

"Neji!" A yell brought her back to reality. She saw a teenage boy with a huge dog run towards the one escorting them. He was followed by a guy who was wearing sunglasses and a high-collared shirt.

"What do you want, Kiba?" the long-haired male looked at the brown haired boy sternly. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

The dog growled menacingly at them while Kiba eyed them warily before throwing an arm on Neji's shoulders. "Woah! So they're the people everyone's talking about. You know, they said they were the one who destroyed our training ground! Damn… good thing we weren't there! So what's the deal with them?" He 'whispered' to the guy who stiffened for some reason.

His silent friend tugged him off the now fuming man. "Kiba, ever heard of personal space?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Shino? Neji doesn't seem to mind, ne Neji?"

Orihime mentally facepalmed. He obviously minded it.

"Tch. You've got a problem with us, mutt?" Grimmjow snarled at the growling dog who whimpered in turn at his harsh tone.

"Oi! Don't be mean to Akamaru! T'was not his fault y'all look shady!" his owner snapped at the Espada before crouching down to comfort his dog.

"Shady, huh? I'll show you shady by toasting you and your mutt with my Cero!"

"Grimmjow, leave them alone. What a drag," Starrk drawled before letting out a yawn and scratching his head.

"Eh? You sounds like Shikamaru," Kiba commented looking up at the man in awe. The lazy man just raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged.

"Kiba, how many times do I have to tell you not to act so friendly with me?" Neji looked down at the other boy and fixed his garb before walking away. "If you don't have any important business then don't talk to me."

"Tch. Arrogant bastard. I was just trying to be friendly because he doesn't have any friends," the dog owner mumbled to himself and made a face.

The brunette heard the remark and glared at him but was interrupted by the silent one. "Actually Neji, we were looking for Hinata and happened to come across you. We just thought that you might be able to tell her to meet us in the training ground after lunch."

The stern man's glare vanished and he nodded at the other shinobi. "I'll make sure to tell her. If that was all then we'll be on our way." He turned to the road ahead of him before adding. "Make sure she makes it home for dinner."


End file.
